A six-figure sum has been spent by Dumfries and Galloway Council dealing with the damage of bad weather which hit the region late last year.
The severe flooding at the end of November, followed by the high winds of November’s Storm Arwen and Storm Barra in December, caused extensive damage throughout the region.
Business owners were left counting the cost of the damage and both the Diamond Jubilee and Cuthbertson Memorial bridges were washed away on the River Annan as water levels hit a record high in October.
While the replacement of the bridges is still to be organised, council finance chiefs have calculated the cost of the response and initial remedial works elsewhere.
A report produced for next week’s finance committee states: “These additional costs, which have mainly been incurred by the roads and infrastructure service, plus some relatively low-level repairs required to council properties, total approximately £150,000 to date.
“While the Bellwin scheme has been opened by the Scottish Government to help councils who have been significantly impacted as a result of these storms, it is not anticipated that Dumfries and Galloway will incur costs in excess of the 2021/22 threshold of £682,670 to be eligible for financial assistance.
“However, the council currently has a severe weather emergency fund of £500,000 set aside within service reserves to address these type of events.”
The council report explained that costs incurred in the replacement of the bridges destroyed in Annan will be looked at separately, with the communities committee having already agreed to allocate £75,000 to pay for site clearance and subsequent preparation works.
This was recorded at a station in Brydekirk as the Annandale area suffered some of the worst of the weather.
